Post by ruffashlar on May 29, 2005 16:48:15 GMT

This thread should be put onto the Kabbalah forum, as the Zohar is one of the key texts of the entire subject and any discussion on it should be placed where it can be referred to easily.

The Zohar is described by one online source as being the work of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the most important sages in Jewish history, [who] lived over 1800 years ago. ...the Zohar, the primary source text of Kabbalah, is built around Rabbi Shimon's revelations to his inner circle of disciples.

He is said to have died on a day called the Lag b'Omer, which is a minor holiday sandwiched between two periods of mourning called the Omer. In order that the memory of his death did not spoil the little holiday, but on the contrary be another reason to feel great joy, he spent his last hours sharing the the most sublime secrets of the Torah with his disciples, and this is the Zohar, "The Radiance" or "The Splendour".

The Zohar is basically a commentary on the Torah, the Pentateuch or Five books of Moses. However, each of the textual references is given a mystical evaluation which in its language and symbolic philosophy can be pinpointed as the first book of the Kabbalah.

After much Googling, I found an online source of the Sefer haZohar, or Book of Splendour, here:-

- embedded in the middle of a big page of other works and letters, also worthy of perusal, which were the postings of a Kabbalah newsgroup.

For myself, I cannot read the Zohar without the warm, lilting voice of Jackie Mason as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski taking the part of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai: the beautiful sage inspired by glory on the threshold of the infinite...

Post by ruffashlar on May 29, 2005 22:40:04 GMT

Indeed, what is the use of having a mind if it is never blown away? The fantastic burst of exploding light: that is zohar!

Yes, it is a very mystical book. It is very pure, in the most dangerous sense of the word: it sees clearly right through all illusions and apparent distinctions. The path to righteous illumination is the descent into wickedness, degradation and debasement, but travelled in the reverse direction. Mirrors which reflect the light, and prisms which refract it, are important as more than symbols for the Zohar: they are the function keys which transmute and transform light into every intelligible thing in creation and, by extension, can connect everything back to that light.

omni: In my Lodge the Secretary is a hugh bully along with control issues. if anyone even asks a question he files masonic charges against them. He controls members mostly because they are afraid of him.Apr 16, 2018 1:07:49 GMT

foriamhim: To omni: Grow some balls, that lodge is yours as well as every member in that lodge. If you are right, its not your problem. Nobody likes the ugliness of masonic charges. Light will always illuminate darkness, don't be afraid, be a better man. May 27, 2018 15:37:09 GMT*

foriamhim: Oh, I am a new member and just wanted to say hi...May 27, 2018 15:39:10 GMT